A Safe Place to Talk

We can run but we cannot hide from scapegoating. It is an inescapable aspect of human behavior, and we are all active participants; we have all been victims. But we can stand firm and break the cycle, we can heal the wounds. Knowledge and dialogue are the first important steps forward. Dr. Scapegoat (aka Arthur D. Colman) says, 'Let the conversation begin!'

Dr. Scapegoat believes complicitor is a noun whose time has come!
It’s derived from the adjective complicit, which Merriam-Webster defines as “having to commit a crime or do wrong in some way.” That definition doesn’t ... read more

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It’s derived from the adjective complicit, which Merriam-Webster defines as “having to commit a crime or do wrong in some way.” That definition doesn’t capture much about the word for me and there are no synonyms which are worth their salt. I use the term scapegoaters to talk about individuals or groups who create scapegoats and that comes close except its way too conscious and directed. Complicitors hide in the shadows and twilight, hang back in groups and allow leaders, idea people and scapegoats to do the work they need.

Sometimes I think complicitors run the world. Here’s what I mean. We have lots of synonyms for scapegoats: black sheep, prodigal son, messiahs, victims, fall guys. But scapegoating theory tells us that scapegoats are created by groups; they act ‘in our place’ and takes the heat. (In my South African TEDX talk available on this website I present a pictogram and a discussion detailing how that happens.) Scapegoaters are conscious of finding and creating victim and they do that either to harm the person or idea or to make something happen that they themselves don’t want to take responsibility for. Complicitors are simpler and more unconscious; they are ancient and ubiquitous, silent and invisible, frightened and cowardly, unknown even to themselves. ‘All we like sheep’ defines them if one understands, as the bible does, that these ‘sheep’ are far from harmless.

The ‘Good German” who went along with the Nazi’s are complicitors. So are the managers of companies who maintain racist/sexist hiring policies. They are the congressman who stay safe to keep their place, the politician who let others take the difficult stands on issues. They are the scientists who deny controversial data, the elders who don’t speak out on when they know all too well it is needed. Find a scapegoat and you will find a thousand complicitors.

Complicitors are focused on their own self-interest. They rationalize that they are doing the best thing for everyone. They don’t rock the boat. They talk about loving values too much. They do not act preemptively and with courage when dangerous situations arise, hoping it will pass them by. And it often does so they continue. They are good parents if everything is going well. But they are the last to speak out when there is trouble. They don’t blow the whistle on sexual abuse, on destructive pairings, on bad choices.

Perhaps by giving them a name, complicitors will become more recognizable. Perhaps by giving them a name, we will recognize the complicitor in ourselves.

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Inside Story

Video of Dr. Scapegoat’s TEDx talk on scapegoating in Prince Albert, South Africa.

Don’t Forget to Ask Dr. Scapegoat

Sharing and dialogue are the best ways to combat scapegoating. Visit the Ask Dr. Scapegoat page to read more.

A Novel Approach

Unnerving, but the stories are true: Dr. Scapegoat (aka Arthur D. Colman) writes psycho-thrillers about scapegoating’s next of kin, revenge, as exacted from a deeply psychological level. New title just released: Revenge of the Scapegoat. Read an excerpt. Visit RevengeIncThrillers.com for more information.

What It’s All About

Arthur D. Colman’s “Up from Scapegoating,” published in 1995 and now available in e-book format, is a pioneering work on scapegoating and society. Learn more here.